1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to otoscopes for imaging the interior of human or animal ears.
2. Description of the Related Art
Imaging inside of the human or animal ear is a common task for doctors. Typically a doctor uses an otoscope to look inside the ear of the patient. Such an exam is common procedure when trying to diagnose ear infections. Most doctors use a manual otoscope, which is simply a magnifier combined with an illuminator. The image that the doctor sees exists only in the doctor's memory. Therefore, comparing different images looked at different times is difficult and not objective.
There exist digital otoscopes that have a digital camera embedded in the otoscope or at the end of a fiber-optic cable that guides the light from the instrument head to an external module. The digital data are then viewed on an external display. Such digital otoscopes are marketed as solutions for telemedicine applications. Cameras currently used in digital otoscope consist of conventional imaging optics and sensors. With the rapid development of mobile platforms for smart healthcare applications, attachments for cell phones are being developed that allow the imaging of the inside of an ear with a smartphone for illumination, image capture, and display.
The features that doctors analyze when trying to make a diagnosis for ear inflammation (“otitis media”) include features such as bulging of the ear drum, translucency, and yellowness of tissue. However, these features are difficult to analyze from flat two-dimensional images taken by conventional cameras. Conventional otoscopes do not explicitly obtain three-dimensional (i.e., depth) information or wavelength-dependent characteristics. They are limited to images of a single focal plane inside the ear canal. Moreover, often objects such as wax or hair can obstruct the view onto the tympanic membrane (TM) or other objects of interest and must be removed before taking a picture of the TM, requiring some extra procedures before an otoscope can be used.
Therefore, there exists a need for improved data acquisition to allow the extraction of three dimensions and color features more reliably.